They want to draw attention to the fact that school shootings, which are very common in the United States, are a terrible experience and that something needs to be done about it.

In 2018, there was a school shooting at Parkland Marjory Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland, Florida, where 17-year-old Joaquin Oliver lost his life. His parents have now released a game to convince Americans that gun ownership should be more regulated. The challenge of the game is to survive a school shooting.

Manuel and Patricia Oliver, through their own foundation Change the Ref, released The Final Exam in September, where we are alone in a fictional high school. A linear journey awaits us, from the locker room to the gym to the hallways. Meanwhile, we must hide from a person shooting blood with a gun by using QTEs to control our breathing. It’s not AAA quality, but you don’t have to pay for it either, as you can get to the end in 10 minutes. According to the Olivers, that’s how long a school massacre in America takes.

There is no blood and violence on screen, and the shooter is only seen a few times as a shadowy, half-hidden figure. Meanwhile, the sound design is very strong: gunshots, screams, cries, alarms, sirens, and often long, mournful silences broken only by the beating of our hearts. If, in those few moments, we manage to escape being victimized, we get closer to escaping and eventually getting one of the five gun control bills. They include mandatory background checks, raising the minimum age for gun ownership, and banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

“These hallways represent the horrors of real life in hundreds of schools where mass shootings have occurred. Places that were promised to be safe for children, but our government has failed them,” says the Final Exam website. The game can be downloaded here and will be available on Steam soon.

Source: PCGamer